


A New Beginning

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Series: Fic Prompts - Doctor Who [11]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Female Friendship, First Date, Pep talks, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 03:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12832572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: Hardy and Miller go on their first date, Beth cheering from the sidelines.It's awkward and nerve-wracking, but oh so very them.Can easily be seen as a sequel to my fic 'Things That Need Saying'.





	A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by a list of 100 romantic prompts. This is based on:
> 
> #52 - Can I kiss you?  
> #55 - Our first date is a picnic on a beach under the stars? Have you swallowed a romance novel? Do I need to call a doctor?

Ellie stared into the mirror in her bathroom, properly nervous.  After months _or years, depending on who you asked,_ of tiptoeing around each other, she and Hardy had tentatively decided to try a more romantic-type relationship.  It was finally the night of their first date, and she was paralyzed by fear.

“Ellie?”  Beth knocked on the door.  “All right in there?  It’s been ages – you need to leave soon.”

Startled, Ellie accidently sent several containers of makeup flying on the floor.  Cursing, she bent down to get them as Beth let herself in.

“I’m fine,” Ellie huffed, straining to reach a bottle that had skidded behind the toilet.

“I can see that.”  Ellie didn’t appreciate the amusement in her friend’s tone, though it did reassure her somewhat.  One of her biggest fears when they’d finally decided to make the leap had been her friend’s reaction.  Maybe it was partially because it had been a few years now, but other than a quirked eyebrow and a ‘ _Really?_ ’, Beth had been nothing but supportive, even if she couldn’t quite see in Hardy what Ellie did.

“I just can’t help thinking, what if this goes…” she trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence.

“What are you scared of?  Going out once, having an awful time, and deciding to call this off?  No harm done, might be awkward for a bit, but you’ll get through it.”  Beth reassured her.  Then her eyes lit with understanding.  “But that’s not it, is it?  You’re worried about if it goes _right_!”

Sinking down onto the closed toilet lid, Ellie nodded miserably.

“What if it does?  What if it goes really well, and we have a wonderful time?  What then?  What do I do?  How do I even begin to prepare for that possibility?”

Beth considered for a moment before suggesting, “Shower, shave, wear clean underwear that matches?”  Ellie’s head jerked up, eyes wide.

“I’m not going to shag him!”  She half shouted before looking guiltily at the door, hoping Tom hadn’t heard her.

“Then what’s the worst – or best – that could happen?  Look, neither of you has been in anything close to a relationship in years, right?  My guess is he’s just as nervous, if not more so, than you are.  Just go with the flow, and whatever feels right.”  Beth encouraged.

Ellie mindlessly played with her finger where her wedding ring used to lay, worrying, “What if he wants things to move faster than I’m comfortable with?”

Beth snorted.  “It’s taken this long for him to man up and ask you – trust me, you’ll probably have to be the one to make all the moves from here on out.  I can’t see him pressuring you for more than you want to give.  I’ll be surprised if you tell me he kissed you, when you call me tonight as soon as you get home.  Which you’re doing, by the way.”

Ellie made a face, but didn’t argue.

Sensing her friend was a bit calmer, Beth took her hand and gently led her out the bathroom, down the stairs and to the front door.

“You should go, or you’ll be late.  Call me tonight and tell me everything.  I hope you have a wonderful time.”  Beth did a last makeup and hair check, before handing Ellie her purse. 

Ellie was grateful to have such a compassionate, understanding friend.  She couldn’t imagine getting through this without her.

Chin up, shoulders back, Ellie marched out the door to her car as though she was going into battle.

-

Hardy nervously paced his living room, waiting for Ellie to show for their first date.  He’d spent weeks obsessing over every little detail, and made more than a few panicked calls to his daughter to doubt the wisdom of his plans, when not the date itself.

Finally the night arrived, though he couldn’t help his fears.  On Daisy’s suggestion, he’d tried to do something different, rather than just make a reservation at a restaurant like he had back in the spring with whatever-her-name-was.

He was just reaching for his phone to cancel when he caught sight of Ellie on his patio, and was left breathless.

She was _stunning_.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that this was the first time he’d seen her in a dress, but he was mostly in a daze.

He managed to get the door open and murmur, “Hi.”

“Hi.”  She smiled shyly, unable to look at him without blushing.

“You…”  He worked his jaw for a moment, trying to get something out that would sweep her off her feet, finally managing, “You look good.”  He immediately cursed his own awkwardness when her smile faltered.  “Better than good,” he tried to reassure her, though the resigned look in her eye said the damage was done.

“Thanks.  So do you.”  She moved on, refusing to admit her disappointment to herself.  _He’s still Hardy_ , she told herself firmly.  _What did you expect?_

“Thanks.”  The conversation died there, as they just stared at each other.  After a long few moments, she raised an eyebrow.  “So…”

“So,” he mimicked, before coming back to himself.  “So!  Uh, I have everything set up.  Um, you may want to leave your shoes here?”

Intrigued, she lifted one foot then the other to remove her strappy heels, noticing when she glanced down that he was barefoot himself.  Part of her hadn’t actually expected him to have a plan, and she was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.  Leaving her shoes just inside his door, she beamed up at him.

“All right.  Now what?”

Quickly checking that he had his phone and keys, he locked the door and gallantly offered her his arm.

“This way, milady.”  With an exaggerated bow that made her laugh, they linked arms and headed down the path to the beach.  They’d only been on the sand for a minute when she stopped short, having realized where they were headed.

Just ahead, there was a blanket already set up, with several small coolers surrounding it.  Electric candles were settled at the corners, waiting to be turned on.  It seemed Hardy had well timed it so they would be just settled when the sun began to set.

As beautiful as the scene was, she could help that her gaze was drawn a bit farther past, seeing a white tent only present in her memories of that awful day.

“I’m sorry, if it’s too painful.”  Hardy murmured in her ear; she jerked around in surprise to look at him.  He was gazing at the same spot.

“I wanted to be close to my place, in case we needed anything – there’s a chance of showers tonight.  But if you’d rather go somewhere else-” He looked nervous and unsure himself, trapped in the memories as much as she was.

“Um…”  She deliberated, but it was ultimately the vulnerable look on his face that convinced her.  “I’m all right, if you are.”  He sent her a small grin, making her glad of her choice.  Leading her the final few steps, he helped her sit on the blanket before slumping down next to her.  From her new vantage point, she realized something with a start.

“Hang on-”

“Yeah.”  He gave her a bashful smile.  “This is approximately where we met.”

Not sure how to feel about that, considering that meeting was roughly twelve hours after her husband had murdered their son’s best friend and Hardy had stolen her job, she decided to settle on being touched that he remembered that, awful as it was.  In the ridiculous, convoluted saga that was their lives from the moment they met in this spot, it seemed somehow fitting.

They sat together in silence, somewhat awkwardly, until he remembered that he had organized the evening.

“Oh!  Uh, d’you want a drink?  I’ve got wine,” he offered.  Mostly for something to do with her hands, she agreed, laughing at the wine glasses he pulled out of a bag.  They were plastic and stemless, with a cutesy beach theme on them.  Hardy noticed her gaze and rolled his eyes.  “Daisy bought them,” he explained unnecessarily.

“They’re perfect,” she reassured him, taking her glass in hand.  He held his up, and she matched him.

“To us – whatever that may mean.”  It wasn’t the most romantic toast she’d ever heard, but it still sent warm butterflies through her stomach.  He had the most intense look in his eye as he watched her sample the drink.

“So – you seem to have a plan?”  She invited him to share, smiling mischievously at him over the lip of her glass.

“Believe it or not, I do.”  Carefully setting his glass in the sand, he began to list the different food he had brought, explaining that he thought they could watch the sunset and then eat.  Throughout his explanation, her grin widened, until she was full out beaming at him.

“What?”  He tugged at his collar nervously, worried about her reaction.

“Our first date is a picnic on a beach under the stars?  Have you swallowed a romance novel?  Do I need to call a doctor?”

He drooped in disappointment, and she regretted her teasing.

“It’s lovely, Hardy, thank you,” she said sincerely.

“Yeah, well.”  He shifted uncomfortably.  “Still Hardy, then?”

“Do you want me to call you Alec?”  She was surprised; she knew how much he hated his name, and unlike the first dinner they shared so long ago, she now knew why.

He shrugged, as though it didn’t matter.  “Well, this is a date, yeah?  And first names are customary?”  He frowned into his wine.

“Yeah, but we’re hardly a traditional couple.  You already know I prefer Ellie, but it’s up to you what I call ou.”  She was curious, watching as he seemed to struggle with himself over something as ostensibly simple as a name.

“How about this,” he said finally.  “We’ll start with Hardy for now – I’m more comfortable with that.  And I’ll try to call you Ellie – out of the office.”

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before smiling again.  “Fair enough.”  She blushed, embarrassed at how much she was smiling, like a girl on her first ever date, rather than a forty-plus divorcee.

“So.  How are the boys?”

-

“I couldn’t look her in the eye for a month!”  Ellie finished her story about a bad meeting with Fred’s teacher just as they reached Hardy’s front door.

His head tipped back with laughter, Ellie couldn’t help but marvel at how handsome the man in front of her looked in the moonlight, so different from the person he usually was.

They stood there somewhat awkwardly at the door, shuffling their feet and looking anywhere but at each other.  Hardy was the one to break the silence.

“Do you want to come in?  For tea, or something?”  He immediately realized what he had implied, and his ears went bright red.  “I mean, I’ve got ice cream, or we can talk on the couch – I’m not propositioning you,” he rushed to assure her, before frowning.  “Unless you want me to?”

“Uh…”  She laughed breathlessly, charmed at his babbling.  What once had been a great source of annoyance had grown to become an endearing quality, provided he wasn’t embarrassing her in front of others.  Or turning down food.  “Suppose it depends.  What time is it?”

He checked his watch, squinting to see in the dim moonlight.  “Uh, half one, actually.”  He said surprised.

She was stunned – she’d had a wonderful time sitting on the beach talking with him, but hadn’t realized it had been so long.  She would have guessed it was no later than ten – the thought that they’d spent six hours together without a single disagreement left a strange feeling in her stomach.

“In that case, I should be getting home.  I told Beth I’d call her; don’t want her reporting me missing.”  She grinned up at him.  “I’d hate for this to end because we got called into work for a missing detective.”

“Fair enough.  Though it’d certainly be the easiest case we’ve ever had.”  He didn’t argue, those she didn’t miss the slight disappointment on his face before he could hide it.  He quickly fetched her shoes, helping support her as she struggled to get them on.  Finally declaring victory, she straightened up but kept her hand on his arm, and he left his on her elbow.

“Hi.”  She let out nervously, and he chuckled in response.

“Hi.”  He tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear before letting his hand linger on her cheek.

“I had a wonderful evening,” she told him earnestly, biting her lip.  She couldn’t deny the thrill that went through her when his eyes dropped to her mouth, before darting back up to her eyes.

“Me too.”  He told her roughly.  “You really do look spectacular.”

She blushed, ducking her head.  “Thank you.”

“So… you had a nice time?”  He looked over her head, terrified to look her in the eye.

“Amazing,” she assured him.  He took a deep breath, before looking back down at her.

“Enough to consider doing it again sometime?”  Her eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but nod.

“Yes.”  She laughed at her own eagerness, and he grinned at her.

“Me too.”

“Good.”

“Yeah.”

They just stood there, smiling at each other, before she remembered the time.

“I really should be going,” she said regretfully, slightly surprised at how much she didn’t want to leave him.

“Do you need a ride?”

“No, I drove here remember?”

“Right,” he murmured, as though he’d already forgotten what they were discussing.

“Yeah.”  A thousand thoughts were flying through her mind, wondering what he was thinking.

“Mill- Ellie?”

“Mm?”

“Can I kiss you?”

She stared at him, surprised that he had asked instead of just doing it.

“Please do.”

He did.


End file.
